Of Comfort and Cards
by NeonGenesisMariChan
Summary: 8 year old Gray Fullbuster is still relatively new to Fairy Tail and he hasn't yet warmed up to the people here. Cana Alberona sees the boy feeling down, so it's only natural for her to attempt to help. (Slight Gray X Cana)


Hey guys, this is just a little one-shot that I wrote up at sometime when I was having Gray X Cana feels that needed to be expressed so here we go!

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima who is my all time favorite mangaka and I aspire to be him. *bows***

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8 year old Gray Fullbuster sat in a corner of the Fairy Tail guild hall with his head buried in his knees, quietly muttering curse words.

Stupid old men.

A soft, feminine voice broke through the boy's concentration. "Hey...are you okay...?"

The young ice mage slowly looked up at the girl. Standing before him was Cana Alberona, nervously playing in her hair. Gray bit his lip as he studied the girl. He remembered her well, when he first made his way to the guild he had met her. She was the only person around his age at the guild.

"A-Are you okay...?"

Gray snapped his head up and stared into the girl's eyes. It was obvious that she was tired from the look in her eyes and her disheveled hair. Apparently he had woken her up somehow. Gray wiped the small tears from his eyes and scowled, "Yeah. I'm fine, now leave me alone."

Gray silently cursed himself, he hadn't meant to come off so rude.

It didn't seem like Cana noticed though as she slowly sat down next to him, their shoulders touching. "Gray...right?"

He nodded, still scowling as she leaned against him.

"I'm sorry about them, they like to poke fun and scare people...it's just what Macao and Wakaba like to do..."

Gray swiftly turned away from her. Stupid Macao and Wakaba. He detested those names. Earlier that day when he went to the basement with Macao and Wakaba, Macao had told him this devilish tale of a demonic figure who prayed on little children in Fairy Tail once they went to the basement. Gray hadn't initially be scared but has he delved deeper into the basement, he had lost track of the two older men. The next thing he knew he felt two hands grab him from under his arms and he screamed in terror. The two men abruptly burst out into fits of laughter as Gray's face got hotter in pure embarrassment, prompting Gray to storm off in anger.

Now here he was. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and he should have been asleep in the male dorms but he was here, crouched in the guild hall with Cana Alberona leaning against him. "Hmph."

"Gray...I-"

"Why are you up anyway?"

Cana jumped back, she wasn't expecting Gray to respond so sharply. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and sighed, "I guess I was worried about you..."

Gray bit his lip, still not facing her. Worried about him? Why the hell would she be worried? She didn't even know him, and he didn't want her to. If anything, it was in everyone's best interest to keep their distance. Gray tensed up as the girl resumed her position on his shoulder. He felt his face get hot again. "Y-you shouldn't..."

Cana didn't reply, she only hummed softly. Gray turned to face the girl on his shoulder, shuffling a deck of cards. "What the hell are you doing?! Get off of me!" He jumped back and pushed the girl away from him, now they were both kneeling on the floor face to face. He watched as Cana crossed her legs on the floor and urged him to do the same. He rolled his eyes but he complied.

Cana put five cards face down in front of them and smiled, she pointed to the first one. "Flip it over."

"I don't want to."

Without warning, Cana softly grabbed the boy's hand and helped him flip it over. He peered down at the card, it was covered in gold swirls and stars. "The hell?"

"Good fortune. Next."

Gray didn't even attempt to hide his blush as Cana continued to hold his hand for the next four cards! although he remained scowling.

"Good fortune, good luck, happiness, friendship, and love. It seems like you have a pretty bright future Mr. Fullbuster!"

Gray watched as the brunette closed her eyes and brightly smiled at him. He didn't know why but it made him feel a little warm inside. He slowly brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear as she opened her eyes. "Cana?"

The girl's eyes widened, "Hm?"

"Do you like being the only kid in Fairy Tail?"

"I-I mean...for the most part. After my mom died...I..."

Gray jumped back. "Oi! I'm sorry I didn't know! I-"

Cana placed a finger over the boy's lips and giggled, "It's okay. I'm fine with it... I joined Fairy Tail...to be an amazing wizard...like my dad."

Gray softly pushed her finger from his lips, "Oh. That's really cool..."

"But I'm not the only kid in Fairy Tail."

What? Was Macao and Wakaba's bullshit story about children dying actually true?

"You're here too."

Oh right.

Gray shook his head, "Nah. I don't think I count as I really don't want to be here."

"But here you are."

Gray slunk back against the wall as Cana rubbed his arm soothingly and kissed his forehead. "W-What w-was that for..?" Gray now found in impossible to hide his blush as his face was currently beet red.

Cana smiled once more, "You're feeling out of place here, aren't you? My mom used to do that to me whenever I felt like that. She always tell me how important I was and even if I feel alone, she'll always be right here with me." Gray's eyes widened as she continued, "And you'll always have your family with you too. Both the family you lost, and your Fairy Tail family."

"F-Fairy Tail family?"

"Of course. We may not be the most common and conventional family, but Master Makarov taught me that everyone in Fairy Tail is family...whether blood related...or not."

As Cana started to stand up, she felt a hand grab hers holding her in place. She turned back to see Gray Fullbuster crying.

"GRAY!"

"I...I-I...I'm glad...I'm glad to be a part of...your family..."

Cana's eyes burst wide open in surprise as the boy wrapped her in a tight embrace, gently sobbing into her neck. She rubbed his back and kissed his forehead once again. "Shh. It's okay. We're all here for you...I'm here for you..." She cooed.

When Gray finally pulled away, Cana placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Gray...this is your home now...and we're beyond happy to have you."

Gray rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Cana..." Without hesitation the boy swiftly pecked Cana on the cheek, both children now blushing.

As the two stood up from their positions Gray bowed, tears still filled his eyes. "ARIGATO CANA!"

Cana chuckled as she grabbed his hand, "We should get back to the dorms, Master Makarov won't like it if we aren't in bed..."

Gray nodded as he grasped her hand in return. The two slowly made their way towards the Fairy Tail dorms.

"Maybe tomorrow, I'll help you overcome your stripping habit.."

Gray scowled in response prompting giggles from Cana. Yes, he had a bright future indeed. They would never replace his biological family nor would they replace Ur, but as long as he had Cana and his new Fairy Tail family, he was pretty sure that everything would be okay.

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So that's it! *giggles* Man, I really love this ship. (Don't get me wrong I ADORE Gruvia but sometimes I do love this pairing too)

Well, I hope you guys like it and feel free to leave me a review!

~Arigato, Mari :)


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